at the Interface of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering and Clinical Research.

The KEENAN RESEARCH SEMINAR SERIES
at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
Chair: Dr. Boris Hinz
Coordinator: Medina Gaber Zecarias
This Week's Speaker
Friday, January 9, 2026, 1 - 2 pm
Dr. Michael LAFLAMME
MD, PhD, Professor Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
​​
Heart Regeneration with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
​​​​
LKS Auditorium, iBEST Seminar
​HAPPY HOLIDAYS
HAVE A BREAK !!
​
We will resume on
January 9 with an iBEST Seminar and on January 16 with the KRC Series!
The Keenan Research Seminar Series provides a forum for presenting the latest research advances by scientists located within and affiliated with the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science at St. Michael’s Hospital, as well as invited speakers from the greater Toronto area.
Every month we feature contributions from the:
Chair: Dr. Venkat Bhat
Coordinator: Andreia Moretzsohn
Upcoming Speakers - Fall & Winter 2025
​Friday, January 9, 2025
Heart Regeneration with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells
Dr. Michael LAFLAMME
MD, PhD, Professor Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
LKS Auditorium, KRC Seminar
​
Friday, January 16, 2026
Tentative Title: Liver biology at single-cell resolution
Dr. Sonya MacPARLAND
PhD, Professor Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
LKS Auditorium, KRC Seminar
​
Friday, January 23, 2026
Title TBD
Dr. Laurent BROCHARD
MD, Division Director, Critical Care, and Professor at the University of Toronto
LKS Auditorium, KRC Seminar
​
Friday, January 30, 2026
Epigenetic mechanisms linking early life environmental exposures to long-term health outcomes
Dr. Meaghan JONES
PhD, Associate Professor Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba and Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba
LKS Auditorium, KRC Seminar
​
Friday, February 6, 2026
Title TBD
Dr. Leyla SOLEYMANI
PhD, Professor in Engineering Physics,, Canada Research Chair in Miniaturized Biomedical Devices, McMaster University
LKS Auditorium, iBEST Seminar
​​
Friday, February 13, 2026
Tentative Title: Repairing the heart with stem cells.
Dr. Stephani PROTZE
PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, McEwen Stem Cell Institute, UHN
​​
Friday, April 3, 2026
Title TBD
Dr. Graham WRIGHT
PhD, Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto, and the Canada Research Chair in Imaging for Cardiovascular Therapeutics
LKS Auditorium, iBEST Lecture










PREVIOUS Speakers - 2025/2026
​Friday, December 12, 2025
Artemis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Dr. Armen PARSYAN
KRC Seminar
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​​​Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Periostin contributes to differential sex-linked gene expression during infarct healing
Dr. Ian DIXON
KRC Special Seminar
​
Friday, December 5, 2025
Challenges and Opportunities of Human 7 Tesla MRI for Clinical Research
Dr. Kamil ULUDAG
LKS Auditorium, iBEST Seminar
​
Friday, November 28, 2025
The Recent Growth of Medicinal Chemistry at McMaster University
Dr. Jakob MAGOLAN
LKS Auditorium, KRC Seminar
​
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Keynote Lecture of the Unity Health Toronto Cancer Research Symposium
Dr. Pamela OHASHI
Unity Health Toronto Cancer Symposium
​​​
​​​​Friday, November 21, 2025
Translational studies on adiponectin in cardiometabolic disease
Dr. Gary SWEENEY
KRC Seminar
​
​Friday, November 7, 2025
DNA holds the words, but chromatin tells the story in cancer
Dr. Mathieu LUPIEN
KRC Seminar
​
Tuesday, November 4, 2025, 10:00 - 11:00
Lung Injury, Regeneration, and Fibrosis
Dr. Rachel ZEMANS
Special Seminar
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Friday, October 31, 2025
Dr. Dana PHILPOTT
Role of NOD2 in fibrosis associated with Crohn’s disease
KRC Seminar
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Thursday, October 30, 2025
Dr. Ellen PURÉ
Fibroblasts and Extracellular Matrix as Potential Targets within Pathogenic Fibrotic Ecosystems
Special Seminar
​
Friday, October 24, 2025
Dr. David Goertz
Opening and closing blood vessels with ultrasound induced cavitation
iBEST Lecture
​
Friday, October 17, 2025
Dr. Eugenia Kumacheva
Organoid-on-a-chip platform: From fibrous biomimetic hydrogels to screening biologically active ingredients to machine learning
KRC Seminar
​
Friday, October 10, 2025
Dr. Chiara Gorrini
Decoding the Tumour Microenvironment for Clinical Breakthroughs
KRC Seminar
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Friday, October 3, 2025
Dr. Caitilin MAIKAWA
Biointerfacing Polymer Materials for Sensing and Drug Delivery
iBEST, Lecture
​​
Friday, September 26, 2025
Dr. Boris HINZ
Myofibroblasts, Memory, Mechanics, and Macrophages
KRC Seminar
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Dr. Joel BOERCKEL
On algebra: mechanobiology of development and repair
Special KRC Seminar
​
Friday, July 11, 2025
Dr. Paola LUCIANI
Patient-centric lipid-based therapeutic approaches to tackle inflammation and fibrosis
KRC Seminar
​​
Friday, June 27, 2025
Dr. Cristina NOSTRO
Human pluripotent stem cell-derived islets: challenges and opportunities for clinical applications
KRC Seminar
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Friday, June 20, 2025
Dr. Naimul KHAN
iBEST Lecture
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Friday, June 13, 2025
Dr. Michelle BENDECK
Modulating cell adhesion to improve arteries
KRC Seminar
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Friday, June 6, 2025
Dr. Costin ANTONESCU
Dynamic nanoscale molecular platforms drive responses to growth factors and metabolic cues
KRC Seminar
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Friday, May 30, 2025
Dr. Chenxi QIAN
Label-Free Optical Microscopy
LKS Auditorium, iBEST Lecture
Friday, May 23, 2025
Dr. Brian COX
Systems biology approach to the discovery of subtypes of preeclampsia
KRC Seminar
Friday, May 16, 2025
Dr. Scott HEXIMER
Don’t You Forget About Me: The Search for Fibrosis Targets in the Remote Myocardium
KRC Seminar










